Vermont’s Green Mountains are jaw-dropping, worthy of their moniker, and at times can even make your breath catch in your throat. They can also make you yearn for wide, open spaces, especially when you live on the eastern-facing slopes of a particular mountain which has the audacity to blot out the late-day sunlight long before you’re ready for it.

So now, here we are, in coastal North Carolina, with more wide, open spaces than we know what to do with. There is lots of uncertainty in our lives at the top of this chapter, mine and The Chef’s, and so we decided we needed an afternoon at the beach yesterday. Scout-the-Goldapeake-Retriever did not have a good time at the beach a few years ago when we were down here for a visit. This was owing to a pair of stupid humans who unbelievably decided it would be a good idea to go on a hot day at the height of the tourist season.

Yesterday was sunny and cool, with perfect cotton candy clouds floating on the horizon, and just the right amount of breeze. We decided to give it another go. And while Scout is still concerned about the noise, and the waves that sneak up behind you and lick your toes when you’re not looking, we felt him relax some at the end of his leash. Some other dogs playing on the beach gave him pause, and then there were All The Smells.

Scout is not entirely convinced about this go-to-the-beach business, but yesterday we inched a little closer to finding joy in the crashing waves and that curious infinite landscape. It’s wondrous to think we now call this place home.